CNN
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Perhaps it was fitting that Shohei Ohtani completed one of the most remarkable feats in baseball history with an extraordinary performance.

In a game with three homers and 10 RBI, a personal best, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar went where no player had gone before on Thursday, hitting his 50th home run of the season and stealing his 50th base. In fact, he had his 51st of every statistic to his name by the end of the game.

A three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins launched Major League Baseball’s 50-50 club, with Ohtani – who finished the game 6-for-6 – becoming the first member.

“It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible,” said the two-time American League MVP, who has been closing in on the historic 50-50 tie for weeks. “It’s something I’ll cherish for a long time.”

The 20-4 win over the Marlins also secured the Dodgers a spot in the playoffs. Coincidentally, this is Ohtani’s first appearance in the playoffs after missing six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.

That will be the latest milestone in what has been – to say the least – an eventful few months in the Japanese star’s career.

His arrival with the Dodges came with much fanfare, amid a record-breaking $700 million, 10-year contract — reportedly the most expensive in North American sports history. It also easily surpassed MLB’s second-largest free agent deal — nine years and $360 million — signed by Aaron Judge with the New York Yankees in 2023.

However, Ohtani is deferring more than 97 percent of his contract until after the end of the 10-year period, taking home just $2 million per year for the time being. Backloading the contract reduces his personal tax liability while also easing the Dodgers’ tax and cash flow burdens.

For L.A., winners of 10 of the last 11 National League West division titles, it was a milestone to welcome one of baseball’s rarest and brightest prospects to the fold. Ohtani is expected to propel the franchise to even greater heights.

Few expected the 30-year-old to have such a productive first season with the team, even based on his usual high standards, especially considering what he has been through physically.

Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September 2023 — exactly a year before opening the 50-50 club — and was told he likely wouldn’t be able to pitch until 2025; on paper, that would significantly reduce the lofty two-way star’s effectiveness.

But despite being held off the mound, Ohtani has had a phenomenal debut season with the Dodgers, hitting a franchise-record 51 home runs — which on Thursday moved him past Shawn Green for the most in a single campaign — while posting a .294 batting average in leading the Dodgers to a 91-62 record and first place in the NL West with nine games remaining in the regular season.

Before Ohtani, the players who came closest to a 50-50 season were Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, who stole 73 bases and hit 41 home runs in 2023, and Alex Rodriguez, who hit 42 home runs and stole 46 bases with the Seattle Mariners in 1998.

The Japanese star also became the fastest player in MLB history to reach the 40-40 mark last month, doing so in the Dodgers’ 129th game of the season. In July, he became just the third player in franchise history to join the 30-30 club, following Raul Mondesi and Matt Kemp.

Even without pitching this season, Ohtani is still the odds-on favorite to win the NL MVP award, potentially the first to do so after playing exclusively as a designated hitter (DH). The two-way star has been working hard on his rehab, throwing from the mound during practice last month for the first time since elbow surgery, sparking rumors and hopes that he could pitch in the playoffs.

“This game has been around for a long time,” Dodgers general manager Dave Roberts said after Ohtani reached 50-50, “and to do something that’s never been done before — he’s unique. He couldn’t be a more talented player, he couldn’t be more humble.”

Japanese tourists are flocking to the City of Angels to see one of their country’s biggest stars. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi congratulated them on Friday.

“We sincerely hope that Mr. Ohtani, who has achieved one achievement after another and ushered in a new era, will continue to flourish,” Hayashi told a news conference.

To keep up with growing interest from Asia, the Dodgers also host Japanese stadium tours, serve a variety of Japanese food and have signed dozens of Japanese sponsors.

Meanwhile, Ohtani’s record-breaking season on the field was met with a challenging off-field period.

In June, his longtime interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty in court to fraud and tax charges for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. The revelation came just hours after the slugger made his first appearance for the Dodgers in the MLB season opener in South Korea.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account and then altered the account’s security protocols without permission. He also called the bank approximately 24 times, posing as Ohtani.

For weeks after the revelation of Mizuhara’s gambling problem, speculation continued as to how much Ohtani knew about the situation.

Both the baseball phenom and Mizuhara — whose sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25 — maintained that Ohtani was unaware of the gambling and theft. When Mizuhara pleaded guilty to the charges, Ohtani said he had put a stop to it.

“This has been a uniquely challenging time, so I am especially grateful to my support team — my family, agent, agency, attorneys and advisors, along with the entire Dodger organization, who have shown endless support throughout this process,” he explained in a statement. “It is time to close this chapter, move on and remain focused on playing and winning games.”

The incident now feels like an eternity ago, such was the whirlwind of Ohtani’s first season as a Dodger. With his sensational performances at the plate — most impressively a historic showing on Thursday — the focus has shifted back to his unique and extraordinary talent on the field.

As a 12th consecutive playoff berth looms for the Dodgers, the team’s World Series aspirations only grow. Ohtani is at the forefront of that offense, and baseball fans around the world will be watching with anticipation to see what else he can accomplish in terms of history.